System: Replicating The Heavens

Serena returned to Alex's side. Her expression was calm and unchanged. She was completely unfazed by her failure to capture the little beast.

"Serena, what kind of demonic beast was that just now?" Alex asked. He was truly awed by that little creature. Its speed was too terrifying after all.

"That wasn't a demonic beast. It was merely a phantom of the Lightning Source Essence, manifesting in the form of a small beast. The power of any Source Essence can take on countless forms. Now that Lightning Source Essence has escaped, it may change its form again."

When she spoke, Alex saw her eyes flickering with light for a fleeting moment. Those flickers were like ripples disturbing a still river, but they quickly faded, and her usual cool composure returned.

This was the first in a long while since Alex saw any emotion on her face.

"What is Lightning Source Essence?"

Calming down a little, Alex asked the most important question he had in mind right now.

Serena didn't hide anything. She directly explained, "A Lightning Source Essence is the essence of lightning itself. You can say that it is the purest and most fundamental form of lightning energy that exists in the universe."

"You should know that normal lightning is just a natural phenomenon, while Lightning Source Essence is the root power that gives birth to all lightning between heaven and earth. It is said that cultivators who refine Lightning Source Essence can draw closer to understanding the Source Law of Lightning. The speed at which they can comprehend the Source Law of Lightning increases at least ten to one hundred times, depending on that particular person's talent."

"Lightning Source Essence might exist as a formless essence of energy. It can also transform into countless forms such as crystals, liquids, or even living manifestations like you've seen just now."

When Alex heard this, he felt his heart beating faster and faster, almost like thunder striking inside his chest. His mind was shaken, and a strange warmth surged through his blood. It was as if something deep inside his body had been waiting for this very moment. He had been awed when he first saw that little beast formed of lightning, but now, after hearing Serena's explanation, he finally understood why he felt such a strong pull toward it.

He couldn't help thinking that it's no wonder his Lightning God's Source Body and Bloodline trembled in excitement the moment that little beast appeared.

Alex's eyes unknowingly brightened, though his face remained calm on the surface. Inside, however, waves of emotion surged through him.

Alex once again thought about the little beast he had seen just now. He tried to recall the trajectory of the little beast's movement, and the more he thought, the brighter his eyes became.

As the little beast moved, lightning flashed, but there was no sound whatsoever. It moved like a streak of light, constantly shifting with almost no discernible pattern.

It was indeed a unique beast transformed by the Lightning Source Essence.

"Serena, what level of treasure is the Lightning Source Essence?" After thinking for a while, Alex threw another question.

Serena didn't hide anything. "If I'm not wrong, Lightning Source Essence is a treasure surpassing the Astral Rank."

Then she suddenly paused, as if realizing something, and said, "Oh, you must not know about Astral Rank Treasures. Actually, above False Treasures and True Treasures, there exist Astral Rank Treasures. Astral Rank Treasures are divided into nine tiers, with Tier 9 being the lowest and Tier 1 being the highest. The Lightning Source Essence, however, is a treasure that surpasses even Tier 1 Astral Rank."

"I'm afraid this Lightning Source Essence was released by the Saint Sovereign. I don't know his exact purpose, but a Saint Sovereign would never release a treasure that surpasses Astral Rank for no reason. He must have a deeper plan."

"Even so, if fate gives you the opportunity, you must never let it slip away. If you can capture and refine the Lightning Source Essence, your strength will increase by leaps and bounds. Right now, you are not even at the True Divinity level. Yet, with even one-tenth of that Lightning Source Essence, you could easily comprehend a trace of the Heavenly Dao and step into the realm of True Divinity."

She paused for a moment. Her eyes were calm yet unwavering as she continued, "Had I managed to capture the Lightning Source Essence, I would have given at least one-tenth of it to you. Unfortunately, I failed. Who knows if we'll encounter it again? Anyways, thinking too much about a lost opportunity is nothing but a waste of mental strength."

Alex had already seen treasures of Astral Rank on Cyr's body. It's a pity his Soul Force was not strong enough to replicate those treasures.

Moreover, his Replication System had not shown any tier in the Astral Rank of those treasures.

When it came to his Replication System, Alex couldn't help but acknowledge its many shortcomings.

First, it was unable to identify the ranks of many treasures.

Second, there were many things it couldn't see through, such as Serena herself and the Tower of Wrath.

Third, the information it provided was often incomplete. For example, with items like the Stone of Tomorrow, the Heavenly Spirit Stone, and the Stone of Immortality, their information panels were filled with question marks. Clearly, his Replication System lacked the ability to pierce through the true nature of such things.

Alex had no idea how to resolve these flaws.

Still, he reminded himself that the Replication System had evolved from his own innate talent. If anyone could overcome these shortcomings, it had to be him.

As for how, the only possibility he could think of was recovering the rest of his sealed memories. Perhaps then, he would get to witness the method he once used to evolve his innate talent into the Replication System and discover how to further strengthen or even upgrade it.

A night passed.

Alex and Serena slowly opened their eyes, exchanged a glance, and nodded slightly in unison.

In fact, both of them had been waiting for the little beast to reappear last night, but it never did. The two of them can only sigh inwardly and continue their journey. They continued to fly towards the center of Thunder Spirit Mountain.

The trees here were already scorched black, all burned after being struck by lightning. Even the ground here was charred black.

Around noon, the two suddenly discovered a lake about a few miles away. They looked at each other, nodded, and immediately moved in the lake's direction.

Why did they do so?

It's because they sensed incomparably dense lightning energy coming from the lake. Moreover, this energy was very familiar.

The Lightning Source Essence is inside the lake.

Both of them immediately determined the reason behind such dense lightning energy and hurriedly moved, stopping only after they arrived on the shore.

Looking at the lake before him, Alex's eyes couldn't help but reveal a hint of excitement. He knew he could not catch the Lightning Source Essence with his strength. After all, it even managed to escape from Serena's hand. He only hoped for Serena to catch it. Then, she would perhaps give him one-tenth of the Lightning Source Essence.

That would be enough for him to become a True Divinity. At that time, if he encountered Cyr again, he might be able to replicate the treasures on his body.

The more Alex thought, the excited he became.

Serena looked at the lake before her, and a hint of anticipation appeared in her clear eyes.

"Serena, let's enter the lake. You can try to capture the Lightning Source Essence. If you can't, then let it go. As for me, I have a lightning-based special physique. The lightning energy within this lake will benefit me greatly."

Alex was already restless. His Lightning God's Source Body and bloodline were reacting violently, as though they were desperate to devour every strand of lightning energy. This is also the reason he urged Serena forward without hesitation.

Serena remained silent, only giving a faint nod before stepping toward the lake.

The moment the two reached the lake's edge, the calm surface erupted, churning wildly like droplets of water splashing into boiling oil.

As they took the first step into the lake, innumerable lightning bolts surged out of the lake, directly rushing into their bodies.

Alex felt extreme pain all over his body as countless bolts of lightning instantly enveloped him. They rushed through his meridians, heading straight into his dantian.

However, before they could reach his dantian, the Lightning God's Source Body and Bloodline reacted. Alex felt his blood boil for a moment, and then every bolt of lightning that entered his body was completely devoured.

In the next instant, streams of pure lightning energy spread through his veins like fire, filling his body with strength. His skin shone with faint arcs of light, and his breathing grew heavy. Instead of pain, he now felt excitement, as if the lightning was part of him. His bloodline appeared to roar with joy.

At the same time, he felt an urge to move deeper into the lake.